Lady Macbeth leads BIFA nominations

Costume drama receives 15 nominations

by Amber Wilkinson

Florence Pugh in Lady Macbeth, which has 15 nominations

William Oldroyd's Lady Macbeth led the charge in the British Independent Film Awards short list with 15 nominations.

The costume drama, starring Florence Pugh, Naomi Ackie and Cosmo Jarvis - all of whom have received acting nods - was one of several debuts to make a strong showing, alongside I Am Not A Witch (13 nominations), God's Own Country (11 nominations) and Jawbone (seven nominations).

Armando Iannucci's satire The Death Of Stalin and Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, also made strong showings, with 14 and 11 nominations respectively.

In a strong year for British film, 35 British features have received nominations and the winners will be announced by Mark Gatiss at a ceremony on December 10.

BIFA said: “This year’s nominations showcase the range and quality of British independent filmmaking. It’s a diverse and varied list, in terms of the teams making the films and also the kinds of stories being told. It is especially encouraging to see so much exciting work from so many new filmmakers; this points to a very bright future for British cinema and we’re proud to be at the heart of it, celebrating these exceptional films.”

As previously announced, Gary Oldman will receive The Variety Award at the ceremony. The Variety Award recognises a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK.

Gatiss said: “It’s a delight to take a break from my ongoing experiments in the reanimation of dead tissue to present these awards which reflect the brightest talents in our industry.”